Present status on bio-ecology and management of tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) – An update

Abstract

The tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) is one of the economically\rimportant and regular polyphagous pests on the field and horticultural crops and\rdistributed in Indo-Australian tropics. The larvae feed on a wide range of plants and\rhave been recorded from over 40 mostly dicotyledonous plant families. It is a major\rpest of tobacco, cotton, rice, maize, soybean and groundnut. The present article focuses\ron literature generated on various aspects of tobacco caterpillar viz., pest status and\rtheir distribution, biology, damage, losses, seasonal incidence, host range and ecology\rand different management strategies such as, cultural and mechanical, host plant\rresistance, role of natural enemies and need based chemical control besides integrated\rpest management strategies employed against this pest.